Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Breaks Bad
by Dramanator
Summary: Remus stops by Fred and George's joke shop at the request of Arthur and discovers more than he expected.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was the month of September 1996 when Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley began hosting an assembly of unusual and suspicious activity. Diagon Alley, in London, is home to many goods and services for the benefit of magical folk. The good-hearted, mischievous twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley, opened their joke shop the summer after their unfinished final year at Hogwarts.

Luckily, in the summer of '95, Fred and George were dealt a winning hand by their friend Harry Potter. A decent mail-away prank service became a definite establishment when Harry gave his Tri-Wizard Tournament prize money to the twins in order to open a real shop.

Business had been steadily growing since the grand opening. A real problem for the twins, though, was the current wizarding conflict spreading throughout Europe. The United Kingdom was gradually being taken over by the Death Eaters and their leader, Lord Voldemort. The Death Eaters believed the magical world ought to rule the muggles and muggle-born magicians.

The Weasley family was one of the few British pure blood families still in existence. The family was notorious to the Death Eaters though for accepting half-blood and muggle-born magicians into their lives.

Our story begins on Wednesday, 4 September 1996 in the storage basement of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. 9 AM, an hour before the store's opening, Fred was running through the new inventory for the month. Wooden boxes were stacked in rows throughout the small basement. Beside him, sporting a lovely brown sweater and a polka dot bow tie was Professor Remus Lupin, who just walked in from the basement exit. Arthur Weasley had asked Remus to periodically work with his twin sons, keeping them and the store safe in such troubled times. Diagon Alley was a wreck, after all. The famous wand shop Ollivander's had been shut down since the beginning of the summer. Gringotts Bank was even using extra protection.

Remus smiled and turned to Fred. "How are we today, Fred?"

"Peachy!" exclaimed Fred. "Two cups of coffee already! Business will be great today, I think."

"When did you start drinking coffee?" asked Remus with a snicker.

"Dad introduced it to me after his trip with an American wizard to Germany. He says Americans drink coffee nonstop."

Suddenly behind the two men a loud pop was heard, causing them to flinch. Fred and George's employee, Verity, had just apparated into the room. Her curly, short hair was died a dark, bloody red. She wore jeans and a blue blouse under her robes.

"Ah, Verity! Lupin, this is our assistant. Verity, meet Remus Lupin. Friendly guy. Trustworthy."

"How do you do, miss?" asked Remus charismatically.

"All is well. Green room, Fred?"

"Sure, go ahead" said Fred. "But be back before lunch, we're gonna need you upstairs."

"Mhmm" she replied before walking up the stairs.

Finally Lupin asked, "What's the green room?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me what the Auror's Department has been up to."

"No can do, Fred."

"Fine then!" laughed Fred. "No deal."

George Weasley stood in the kitchen of the apartment above the shop where he and Fred lived, looking out the window. Diagon Alley was a ghost town. Nearly half of the usual businesses had shut since the rise of the Death Eaters. Diagon Alley consisted of four strips of stores crossing like a plus, with Knockturn Alley located behind the book shop Flourish and Blotts. George had always loved coming to Diagon Alley with his family as a young boy. Seeing his older brothers test out their very first wands and looking at the latest broomsticks had always been special memories for George. He pitied the children who are now denied that experience. Luckily Wheezes is located in the bull's-eye of the plaza, good for both business and for those hungry for some Diagon Alley magic. George opened the kitchen windows and enjoyed the warm, comforting sun. Fred and George's black cat, Queen Betty, skipped into the kitchen and sprawled onto the sunlit floor to soak in the golden rays. George heard a hoot and noticed a brown owl sitting on his windowsill next to a pot of singing flowers. The flowers sang a short hello to the bird in colorful harmony. George took the note off the owl's foot and fed him a shred of toast before it flew away. He unfolded the parchment.

_Dear George and Fred,_

_I hope you and your business has been well since our visit in August. Work has been a nightmare these past few weeks, otherwise we would have written sooner. The ministry is doing its best to protect our community but the resistance is strong. Disappearances are still happening- which I imagine you already know. Stay safe over there and remind Remus how important your safety is to us. We also ask that you continue your studies even though you have left school. To be educated is to live fully. I've contacted Flourish and Blotts and reserved a few selections that you both can pick up. One of them is actually written by a muggle! It concerns business methods. There is also one about magic carpets- George, you will find it most delightful. Everything at home has been well. We are still uneven with the quietness of things while everyone is away! _

_Much Love,_

_Dad and Mum_

George smiled after reading the letter. He left it folded on the windowsill for Fred to read later. Moving to the table, he sat down to glance over the headlines of _The Daily Prophet._ The front page read _Employment Positions in Ministry Branches are Shrinking_. The second page's story featured a retiring world-class quidditch instructor, Gillian Williams, who led the English Women's Team for fifteen years. Bored with the newspaper, George stood up and walked across the wood kitchen floor, which creaked with each step. Feeling a bit woozy, he decided to take the stairs down to the store instead of apparating.

The shop was full of all kinds of dazzling wonders. Knick-knacks such as top hats with white rabbits hidden in them, singing flowers, wizard tattoos, U-No-Poo, bewitched slinkies, dancing popcorn, extendable ears, love potions, wizard crackers, and wizard's chess sets. There were brands of candies- Bertie Botts, licorice wands, chocolate frogs, and glowing gummy worms.

"Those bastards must be downstairs" laughed George. He jogged towards the back room and down the steps to find Lupin and his brother, who were still in the basement.

"Morning George" said Remus. "We were discussing Harry's quidditch injury a few years back when Giddy Lockhart made his bones vanish. An idiot, Lockhart is."

"You got that right!" shouted Fred.

"That nasty bludger nearly killed Potter" chimed George. "Sexy Granger took care of that."

"Yeah, then Lockhart turned Potter's shattered bone into Jell-O! You should have seen it Remus, his fingers were like worms."

The three chuckled as they recalled the simple lives they were all living a few short years ago. Fred started to tell an anecdote about Lockhart when suddenly a strong sour odor pervaded the room.

"What is THAT?" exclaimed Lupin.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter," said George, rather quickly.

Fred glanced and scowled at his twin. "George. It's Lupin. He can help us."

"Help you with what?" asked Lupin.

The two twins stared at each other and agreed nonverbally to let Lupin in on their secret. Fred finally looked to Lupin and said, "Come." George and Lupin followed Fred to the door underneath the stairs. He tapped his wand on the door twice and the lock flew open. Behind the door, the three men saw Verity with a protective bubble charm around her face and wearing a rubber apron. She was adding unidentified ingredients to a green potion, which sat in a large black cauldron. The cauldron sat above a small flame, making the brew boil slightly.

Lupin stared into the green liquid for a long moment. Finally he said, "The antidote to Veritaserum."

"Exactly," said Fred. "Completely controlled and produced by the ministry. Illegal for civilians since Voldemort took over."

Lupin, shocked, glanced around the large room and realized there was more. The room was as large as the shop upstairs and maybe bigger. Four large cauldrons, as big as the one Verity was attending to, were set up throughout the room. On the back wall hung a collection of firearms.

"Muggle weapons?" asked Lupin, stunned.

"Welcome to our real business, Remus" said Fred with a smirk. "Trading and selling illegal goods to the highest bidder. We've got potions, insane plants, muggle weapons, magically enhanced drugs. Everything."

George added, "Verity does the potions and connects us with the knockturn alley crowd. I'm normally distributing, and Fred is the brains of the operation."

"Why don't you guys tell him more!?" shouted Verity, irritated. She pulled off the bubble mask and dropped it. "Bunch of idiots."

"This is Remus, Verity. You don't have to f—"

"It's ok, George" assured Remus. He turned to Verity. "My name is Remus Lupin."

"Why should I trust you?"

"I can protect the three of you. Do you know that? Do you understand what kind of trouble you would be in if the ministry discovered this? Do you realize how corrupt the ministry has become?"

"Of course we do!" spat Verity. "We're a part of it."

"This business isn't the most ethical out there," said Fred. "We sell to whomever wants our products. Including some ministry workers. Why do you think this shop is still open and doing so well? We're against the death eaters personally and they're against us, but they still need us."

Remus's face was white with shock. "I can't believe you three. Those firearms. Your dad chases people like you. How disappointed he'd be."

"He's not going to find out," said Fred, plainly.

"Only if I have anything to do with it," replied Remus. "Let me team up with you."

Verity looked at the twins in humorous disbelief. "Is this man serious right now?" she started laughing.

"You let me team up with you on this business. I have connections and authority. More than you would think. I can protect you." The room was silent for a few seconds. "I can also end you. You let me team up with you on this business, I'll contribute my services and collect my earnings, or else I expose this business and turn the three of you in."

Everyone was silent. The three criminals looked as if they were in a deep state of thought, considering their options, or lack of options. Finally Fred reached out his hand and shook Lupin's. "I've got to go upstairs," he said. "It's almost ten." He left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

October. It was 11:00, an hour after store opening. Fred was working the front desk of the joke shop when an old woman in a maroon blouse stumbled over near the counter. Even with a cane she was stumbling. The witch looked old, with gray hair. Her face was sickly green. She vomited everywhere on the floor. "Oh my, mum! Did you eat a puking pastille?" asked Fred.

***cough* **"I thought I was eating saltwater taffy. The sign out front says saltwater taffy."

"I'm sorry mum, we keep our sweets in the front. You must have mistakenly tried a puking pastille. Here, have some water."

The woman sipped the water slowly then started walking out, cup in hand. "Bunch of shit those sweets are. Why would you want to make yourself throw up anyway?"

"Bitch," said Fred to himself. He pulled out his wand and with a wave the puke evaporated.

Verity came upstairs with a box full of merchandise to stock. She was wearing a black zip up jacket and a pair of ripped jeans, her hair frizzy and greasy. She arranged the display of joke books and then crafted a dozen or so wizard crackers.

Fred shouted towards Verity, "Hey let's go through the boxes downstairs during lunch before our meeting with Remus. We need to make sure we have the right dragon eggs to sell."

"Alright, Fred. We should pop a batch of dancing popcorn for the lunch, don't you think? What's the time?"

"About half eleven. I'll do the popcorn; fancy that stuff."

George was shopping in Borgin and Burks, sent by Verity to search for an opal necklace. She told him that they really needed to acquire this necklace. They would be making huge piles if the plan worked. First, George needed to acquire the necklace. Verity told George she trusted him to find it. Once in the shop, George saw all kinds of dark arts and magical concoctions like polyjuice potion, poisoned apples, cursed jewelry, and in a corner he saw a hand of glory. George walked up to the counter and gave the clerk a note from Verity, asking Mr. Borgin to meet with George. The young male clerk, whose face was mostly hidden by a hood, took the piece of parchment to the back room. George waited by himself for a minute or two. Mr. Borgin, an old man with a hunch and a cane, walked out and stood right in George's face. He grabbed George's chin and smirked. "Verity sent you, did she?" He laughed again.

"Yes sir, I want to buy an opal necklace. The necklace she specified in the note. Let's talk money."

"What's your name, boy?" asked Borgin.

"Fred," George lied.

"Tell me Fred, what do you want with such a special necklace? This is dark stuff, yes? What do you need with this special necklace," Borgin persistently asked with a creepy smile on his face.

"Private business. Just name your price, what does it matter? You can sell to me, right?"

"Hmm Hmm" laughed Borgin. "Oh, I'll sell to you, I just like to know my customers. You see, I must wonder, why did one of my former dealers send a handsome boy like you? What are you doing around someone like Verity? She's a bad bitch."

"How much for the necklace, Mr. Borgin?" George was getting annoyed.

"40 galleons. And an extra 3 for the protective layering. You don't wanna go touchin' this necklace, ya hear? No sir."

"Alright, Mr. Borgin, you've got yourself a deal. 43 galleons."

Borgin walked over to the jewelry table and pulled open the bottom drawer. _Wingardium Leviosa._ The necklace floated across the room and into the box on the counter. Borgin's assistant pointed his wand at the box. With a glow of the assistants wand the box closed and sealed tight. His wand then started oozing a protective layer around the box.

"There you are, Fred."

Back in the joke shop, Verity, the real Fred, and Lupin were gathered in the basement waiting for George. The store was closed for a forty-minute siesta. When Fred arrived, Lupin produced some chairs with his wand for everyone to sit.

"Alright let's get this meeting started, we've been waiting long enough," said Lupin with a glance towards George.

"The Paris job" said Fred. "Lupin, you and George need to meet with Verity's contact at the Leaky Cauldron to plan this out. He's getting a room so you can meet in his room. You need to go and agree on a payment, ya hear? Should be no less than 5,000 galleons."

"Should that be hard? Do you know this guy?" asked George.

"The price shouldn't be a problem," said Verity. "The other thing you need to do is make sure we don't get exposed. This move is huge. The dark mark might be seen above the crime. We can't be associated with that. Make sure he understands."

"Got it," said Remus. "He should be there now, Verity?"

"Should be," she said. "The room number's 21."

"Let's go George. Might as well go now."

George grabbed Lupin's wrist and they instantly apparated out of the room. They landed in front of the Leaky Cauldron's main entrance. Maybe they were afraid, maybe they were unsure how to proceed, but the two men stood there, looking at the entrance.

"We need to be calm and not look like we're breaking the law," said George. "This guy is probably very discreet."

"He ought to be," replied Lupin.

"Let's go in like we're already staying here, walk upstairs, and meet him. He might have someone watching the room, but we'll be cool."

"Yeah. Sure we will."

Lupin held the door open for George and they went in. The pub didn't have much of a crowd but there was a thin layer of smoke in the air and it smelled of brown ale. Lupin and George climbed the stairs to the second floor. When they walked in the hallway of rental rooms a man in a black suit and sunglasses stopped them. He reminded George of the picture of an American Secret Service Agent that his dad had shown him.

"Stop right there. Where are you going?" the man asked.

George spoke up, "Room 21. We're meeting someone. We have an appointment."

"Empty your pockets. Show me your wands if you have any."

Lupin and George obeyed. Lupin had a pocket watch and a few galleons. The guard took his money, but allowed them to pass. George knocked on the door of room 21 and it flew open.

The two men entered the room, which was lit with many candles. Verity's contact, a large man in his forties, sat at a dining table on the right side of the room. He wore silver robes. His face was accented with a pointy mustache and small black beard.

"Monsieur LeBlanc," he said. "Who sent you?"

"Verity," said George. "She told us to meet you in this room to plan the Paris job."

"I see. Have a seat."

The two men sat at the table in front of LeBlanc. He stared at the both of them as he smoked a cigarette.

"What business do you bring here?"

"Dragons," said George. "We can set you up with any dragon, among other creatures. But Verity did mention a dragon."

LeBlanc raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "What did you say your names were?"

"We didn't," said Lupin. "I'm Remus and this is George."

"And you deal with dragons?"

"Yeah," replied George. "All over Europe. I've got a connection in Romania. We can set you up if the price is right. And that's not all-"

"I want to make something very obvious to the both of you," LeBlanc interrupted. "I didn't let you in to negotiate. I have a job to do, which is to attack the French Ministry of Magic. I already have plans for the main attack. A dragon is the extra punch after the main explosion. Your role doesn't matter to me. It's not vital. You two pricks aren't in a place to negotiate prices. I pay you what I pay you. You work for me, understand? We're not partners." LeBlanc puffed his cigarette. "The girl practically begged me to let you two twats over here. Said you needed a big break like this to stand on your own."

"We do need this," said Lupin. "Let's help each other out. Now this explosion, you're using magic to enhance the bomb? A muggle artifact?"

"We can help you with that," said George.

"No, George! That's not what I meant! This isn't good."

LeBlanc stood up and walked around the desk to stand right in front of Lupin. He socked Lupin in the face and kicked him to the ground. George stood up and reached for his pocket. "_Expelliarmus!"_ LeBlanc disarmed George before he could grab his wand. "_Stupefy!"_ George flew back into the corner, landing on the hard floor. LeBlanc pointed his wand at Lupin. "_Crucio!"_ Lupin twisted in pain, but remained silent. He looked determined to resist showing pain.

"You two pieces of shit work for me! Remember that!" He threw them a sac of coins. George opened the sac and looked inside. There was much less money than Verity was expecting them to return with, but at this point he didn't care. That bitch had failed to inform them that they were meeting with a psycho who would show no mercy.

Lupin and George apparated back to headquarters, in the basement of the joke shop.

"Lupin," George began. "I don't know what the hell you think you were doing back there but that can't happen. You may know a good deal about magic but you know nothing about the black trade."

"You're an idiot for saying you could help him."

"That's what we're here to do!" spat George.

"How could she set us up with that scumbag?" said Lupin.

"What were you expecting professor? This is crime. We went in and looked like idiots. Now we gotta do the same thing with Verity and my brother. Let's get it over with already."

They walked behind the joke shop and down the stairs to the back alley where they would enter through the basement door. They walked into the basement, which was extremely cold. Lupin began to shiver. They sauntered into the green room and found Fred and Verity working on some kind of colorless gel-like mixture in a small cauldron.

Verity looked up. "It's a skin dissolving gel. Used for interrogation and whatnot."

"How'd it go?" asked Fred.

George replied, "We sold the dragon but not for jack, yo! It's crap! Your guy was a total psycho, thanks for telling us that, bitch."

"What were you expecting?" asked Verity. "Don't go in like a coward like you probably did!"

"Hey screw you!"

"GUYS! Enough!" shouted Fred. "How much did you get?" Fred ripped the sac from George's hands and poured it out on the floor. There were about 20 pieces of gold. "I guess this is going to have to do."

George's eyes widened. "What! Are you SERIOUS? We have to pay Charlie for this dragon and we won't have that much profit left for ourselves."

Fred glared at him. "You're getting several pieces of gold, and you're complaining?"

"Think of what that guy is probably making from this job. And look how much we're getting."

Lupin and Verity didn't say anything, but they appeared to agree with George. They looked at Fred with questioning faces.

"You all need to realize that this business is good," said Fred. "We don't need to make tons to get our foot in the door for the new direction that we're headed. We've sold plenty of potions and plenty of weapons. We're expanding, and we're in a transition. Be patient."

"How many people is this Paris job suppose to kill, Fred?" asked Verity.

"My estimate has been somewhere between 1 and 2,000 people. Maybe more. With the dragon and the explosives it's going to kill a lot of wizards and muggles. And Voldemort's Death Eater's are taking credit. It's not coming back to us."

"We have to be sure," said Verity.

"I'll take care of that," said Lupin. "I'll go to France when it happens and get full coverage. I'll travel as a spy for the Order but really I'll be keeping watch the whole time to make sure it goes according to plan."

"Sounds good to me," said Fred. "If we make it with this guy's operation, we're that much closer to taking it over."


	3. Chapter 3

13 October, the day before the attack on the Ministry of Central European Magic's secret headquarters in Paris. Fred, George, Verity, and Remus were seated at a table in the kitchen of the twin's flat. Fred was reading through several applications for employment at the joke shop that they had received by owl that morning. About a week before, the twins contacted several newspapers and friends to promote work positions at the joke shop. Fred decided that if he was to be concentrated on his secret business, he needed more time on his hands, so he wanted to hire a few staff members to join the joke shop. The shop's business was still strong despite the economic downfall in the wizarding world due to the empire that Voldemort was slowly building.

Verity sat quietly eating a breakfast of fruit salad. George was sketching out ideas for a new fireworks display they would soon be selling in the shop. Meanwhile, Lupin was devouring a bloody piece of steak like a hungry dog. Fred had recently bewitched the kitchen ceiling to look like the sky, just like in the great hall at Hogwarts. Fred liked being reminded of Hogwarts because to him it was one of the last truly magical places in the current condition of Britain. Although the school had been corrupt for a year, causing the twins to drop out, Hogwarts is where they learned mostly everything they knew about magic. They had been taught by some of Britain's wisest magical scholars, including Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Filius Flitwick, and Severus Snape. Hogwarts would always live inside a part of Fred. Currently, the ceiling was glowing with the rare bit of sunshine that the week had seen.

"Alright let's talk about this dragon," said George.

Fred looked up. "Well we need to contact Charlie with our instructions. We really should have done that already." Fred picked up a pen and piece of parchment and began scratching out a letter to Charlie.

"Tell him the dragon has to know to fly away into the wild without returning to where it was released. We can't have it coming back to us. And I hope you're not sending that letter by owl."

"I know," snickered Fred. "And Lupin, you'll keep an eye on that as well, yes? Watch that dragon. Charlie knows too. He wouldn't set me up with a dumb dragon. I told him to bring an impressive one. A dragon that will amaze even the death eaters."

"What do we want this dragon to do, you reckon?" asked George.

"Scare people. Maybe start some fires, knock some things over."

Verity added, "It'll send a message, which is what LeBlanc wants."

"Exactly," said Fred. "So guys, when you went to see LeBlanc, I don't assume he mentioned the timing of the explosion, did he?"

"What do you mean?" asked Lupin.

"You mean how the timing is affected by the magic?" asked Verity.

"Precisely," said Fred.

"He didn't mention it, no," said Lupin. "Why?"

"Bombs normally have a very precise time of explosion, but the magic eliminates that physical constraint. The magic expands the explosion but unfortunately makes the time of impact unpredictable."

Fred turned to face Lupin and found the professor staring at him. "You have so much knowledge that your dad WOULD be proud of, but-"

Fred rolled his eyes at this. "But unfortunate for him, I work in the business he has worked against for twenty years. And so what? We've all got our own agenda's, don't we?"

Lupin and George exchanged a glance, clarifying their mutual surprise at a side of Fred they had not seen before.

"So what does this mean for us, Fred?" asked Verity, refocusing his attention to the matter at hand.

"From what I've calculated the bomb could explode anywhere within fifty hours of being armed, but it will certainly take at least a few hours."

"And LeBlanc is unaware of this? How am I supposed to supervise that? How am I supposed to stay awake that long?" Lupin looked stressed.

"I don't know, but we're going to need to figure out a way," said Fred. "We'll need a potion or a plant or something."

"I might know a guy who can sell us a plant," boasted Verity with pride. "Hangs around Knockturn alley."

"Go to him. Now."

Verity stood up, smiled, and apparated out of sight.

"Meanwhile," said Fred. "We've got to open the joke shop. But Remus, will you stay here? We need to make sure we can get you some kind of energy burst."

"Yes I'll stay but I need to stay up here and concentrate on some business for the Order."

"You and your ridiculous contradicting career," said Fred with a slight shake of the head.

The three of them did their own thing for a little while. Lupin worked upstairs while the twins worked the store. Before long, the twins heard Verity announce that she was back in a rather excited shout. Fred walked upstairs while George stayed down to attend to the shop. Fred entered his apartment and found Lupin and Verity in the kitchen.

"Good news. We can get some pills," said Verity.

"Great," said Lupin. "How?"

"Tonight you'll meet a girl, goes by the name of Ruby. She'll be in Knockturn alley."

"She's safe?" asked Lupin with a raised brow.

"Oh yeah, there's no risk here. These things aren't that illegal."

"What does that even mean?" he replied. "And why should I believe you anyway? Not that either of you two could protect yourselves better than I, but last time you set us up with a psychotic mess when I thought I was meeting a business man."

"You'll be fine. Relax." Verity seemed very calm about this, which annoyed Lupin very much.

The morning of the attack had come. Remus had gone to Knockturn the previous night, like Verity instructed, and met with a lady named Ruby to get the pills. He stood in the storage basement while the others were in the shop working. They decided it would be too suspicious to close the shop for the day on the same day of the Paris job. Not a good idea. Fred was still mentally focused on the day's mission, even though he was working upstairs. Lupin was certain that Fred was up there going through the entire process in his head, looking for any flaws in the plan. _Even when he's not the one who has to go and supervise the damn thing_, Lupin thought to himself.

With a swing of the door, George and Verity started descending the stairs into the basement. The silence of the cold, dark room was broken by a small muffle of chatter from the store when the door opened.

"You ready Remus?" asked George sincerely.

"Yes, I'll be fine. The Order thinks I'm staying home this week doing work for them, which I must say has been very slow lately. The only one who knows I'm not really home is Tonks. Not that she actually knows what I'm doing, though."

"Excellent. The dragon is all set up with Charlie. Says it's a real big one. I can't wait MAN! BOOM! This is going to be brilliant. Verity, get the stuff."

Verity smiled and pulled out a clear bag from her pocket filled with white powder. She poured a small amount on the desk that stood against the concrete wall, gathering it up with her fingernails. She grabbed a straw from the desk drawer and snorted some of the cocaine. George did the same.

"Yeeeeahhh Bitch!" laughed George.

"When did you two start using?" asked Lupin. His voice sounded disappointed but also genuinely curious. "Give me a taste of that."

George started laughing extremely hard at this, knocking over a stack of books. His face turned red and he started slapping his knee. "No! Lupin really? I'll be damned."

Lupin leaned onto the desk and took a snort, followed by a shiver.

"We're ready to kick some ass. Are you guys ready to kick some ass?" Lupin started pacing the room, a grin starting to sprout from his chin. "I've never felt so alive. I can't contain this, I just want to succeed and then do more! Success and more!"

"Hahaha Remus is starting to get a danger buzz. This is just the beginning my friend."

"Um Verity," George started. "Are those pills okay to be combined with coke?"

"Not sure. If so it's too late now."

"Damn what if it doesn't work? We have to know that it will," said George.

"It will. Let's go back upstairs."

As the two kids climbed the stairs, Lupin sat down at the desk and looked over his notes for the mission. He needed to stay out of sight but also needed to keep a close eye on the building for a long time. His plan was to follow a route of alleys, corners, and call boxes to stop at and loiter for a few minutes before moving on to the next stop. He would need to vary the route every few rounds to avoid suspicion. He wanted a little suspicion though, just for the thrill of it.

As the time approached for Lupin to get on a broom and fly to France, Fred came downstairs.

"You ready, Lupin?"

"Yes, Fred I am. Readier than ever."

"Good. You're going to be great, and we'll gain some respect from LeBlanc, which is exactly what we need to knock him out and take his place! You understand?"

"Of course I do. Everything will go according to plan."

Fred, George, and Verity kept the store running as normal while Remus was away. Of course the attack was on everyone's mind, but they enacted the same story of the wizarding joke shop and played their same roles as goofy dropouts who want nothing more than everyone to have a little fun. Business was steady, Fred supposed. He still wasn't really sure what a 'normal' crowd is for a magical joke shop. The only other joke shop Fred endorsed was Zonko's, which of course was always busy with Hogwarts students. Other than that, Fred wasn't sure. He just knew he needed to pretend that business was fantastic, so it wouldn't seem to Gringotts that illegal profit was being laundered through the joke shop, which of course it was. Fred was focused on sound. As soon as he heard a thump he knew it would be Lupin apparating back from rural England. Fred made Lupin promise he would fly his broomstick to England and then apparate directly into the store.

Fred heard a thump from the ceiling above. Lupin. He rushed up the stairs without the others and found Lupin standing in his kitchen. He looked dirty and fatigued.

"It's done," said Lupin. "All of it."

"Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."

"The explosion was incredible. I'm lucky I decided to move back from where I started. And you were right, it blew up hours after it was supposed to."

"And the dark mark?"

"It was there, clearly visible, and untraceable back to us. Made sure of that."

Verity entered the apartment holding a white envelope. "This is from a messenger who just came by," she said.

Fred grabbed it and opened it. On a small piece of parchment he read:

_Well done. We'll meet again, soon._


End file.
